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A 5 star bin

I purchased our Brabantia bin around 6 years ago now - it was a complete impulse buy and when I got it home I was very disappointed by the mistake I'd made. I bought it in TJ Hughes for £49.99 and I'd wanted the beautiful shiny steel bin that was on display in the shop but when I took it from the box at home, the one we'd actually bought was black for the main part with a steel and black lid - I was a bit gutted if I'm honest! But, I couldn't be bothered lugging the huge box through town so I just stuck with it. It's been in our kitchen ever since, although now I'm very glad that we stuck with the black one. The small brushed steel part on the lid of ours forever needs a wipe over because of fingerprints, I think this would have really annoyed me on the shiny steel bin because I assume they'd have shown up on that even more. Just incase you buy one, check the small label on the box naming the colour - the picture shown on the box is just showing the type of bin being purchased.

The model we have is a cylindrical shape and has a lid with a press top that pops up to open. It then just clicks back in place to close it. There's a catch on the inside of the bin that clicks to a small piece of plastic in the lid and I find this ok but dirt does seem to build up around it very quickly and needs to be cleaned a lot, I suppose though this is expected in a bin! The little bit of plastic in the lid doesn't look very strong but ours has lasted 6 years now with no issues so I suppose it must be capable of the job. The bin is easily emptied by pulling the lid completely off the bin part. There is a cylindrical insert of metal inside that houses the binbag effectively and is also handy to tuck the binbag into so it's not on show from the outside. The majority of Brabantia touch top bins are designed this same way.

The bin we have has a 30 litre capacity although Brabantia make a large variety of sizes, both smaller and larger than this. I find that our 30 litre was a good size for us when we were a couple, but since adding to our numbers we need to empty it every day and we get through a lot of bin bags! I'm planning on changing it soon anyway as we have noticed that it's started to pick up a funny smell now, even though my husband regularly takes it outside and pops the pressure washer on it to give it a good clean. When I do, I will definitely look at a bigger capacity, probably the 50 litre one, to save on bags and having to empty it constantly. Apart from the smell issue, the bin still looks as good as new really which is quite impressive.

The bins are also available in some other colours, eg white, blue, beige but the majority of the ones available seem to come in either a matt black, shiny steel or a dull steel colour. From looking at them recently for a replacement, they also now make a fingerprint proof one too although this wasn't an option at the time I bought ours. Ours is classed as a 'touch bin' but there are plenty of pedal bins in their range too, I just prefer to tap the top to open the bin rather than use my foot. They also make smaller table top bins and waste paper bins too.

The bins come with a 10 year guarantee for piece of mind although to be honest, I don't think I would personally keep a bin for any longer than 10 years because they surely harbour germs even when thoroughly cleaned regularly.

Brabantia aren't daft as they make their own specially designed bin bags that fit their range of bins. I have never used these though, I've always just opted to use Tesco's own bin bags in ours (Tesco 30 litre binbags but not the value ones) and they've always been fine so I don't see the need. Obviously I don't know whether the Brabantia ones are better but they certainly come with a higher price tag than I pay now and are also not available in our local supermarket.

I would recommend Brabantia bins as looking on Amazon they haven't rocketed in price (around £64 now for our one). I think we've had our money's worth from ours as it's something that is used constantly seven days a week, I don't think people think about how much their kitchen bin is actually used, it's never really crossed my mind until thinking about it now but it's always being filled with our rubbish! Brabantia bins score 5 stars as I've not got any complaints and would happily replace ours tomorrow with another Brabantia touch top in a larger version with us now being a family of 3 with pets.

Thanks for reading :o)

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My brand of choice

Brabantia dustbins are my favourite brand of bin. Other than using cheap bins for waste paper, I prefer a sturdy large bin for the kitchen. A few Christmases ago we were given joint vouchers for Debenhams and as a couple couldn't agree what to spend them on. In the end we bought a ridiculously expensive kitchen bin (I think it was £60) and at the time I thought 'we must be mad' but it's been a great buy that will last us for the rest of our lives I think.

Bin no 2So impressed by this bin, we went on to buy a more slim line version for upstairs (around £40), at the time in our study as I seemed to create a lot of rubbish crafting and generally making a lot of mess with scissors and glue. When our baby was born, we moved this bin into the nursery as it had a nice lid that helped to keep the smell inside and as it was tall and thin it didn't take up too much space.

What I like about the Brabantia brandThe quality on Brabantia bins is superb. The bins are available in a range of colours and sizes and our kitchen bin is shiny silver, whereas the upstairs one is more of a muted gunmetal grey. The lids are ones that click closed and open and keep most smells at bay. The bins look smart in situ and are easy to empty. The kitchen bin can be used with normal sized black bin bags and the upstairs bin came with some sample specialist sized (long n thin) bin bags but you can still use normal bin liners in them (which we do). I don't believe in spending a lot on bin bags. The bin lids come with a long guarantee that if the click shut mechanism fails, they will repair it for you but we have never had a problem with ours. I think the trick is to be gentle rather than firm with them!

DownsidesThe bins are expensive but you can usually get a bit of discount on them in the January sales, it is worth looking out for this if you want to buy one and can afford to wait. The upstairs bin got a dint in the side of it within a year (we still don't know who / how this happened!). It is quite visible and has not been possible to remove from the side of the bin.

My thoughtsIt still seems a bit mad to spend this much on a dustbin but they do look nice and we won't have to buy another one any time soon. I hope they last a lifetime really. They look smart and are easy to clean and keep smells at bay with the lid although the nappies were a challenge too far for the upstairs bin so we ended up buying a proper nappy bin.

Would I rebuy?As long as I had the money available at the time, I would buy another Brabantia bin if I needed it. It's one of those purchases that you don't regret in the long run and because it was costly, it makes you look after it a bit better than you would a plastic bin.

Final wordIf you are struggling for a present idea (for yourself) or a moving in gift for family then clubbing together for a Brabantia bin could be a suggestion. I love our bins and we must have found the first bin good to have gone on and bought a second one!

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The cost of rubbish

After a succession of cheap pedal bins and plastic, fantastic swing bins, five years ago we finally decided to part with a shocking amount of money for a Brabantia model. I had always thought it madness to pay such a high price for a product that holds your waste, but was persuaded when my Mum in law purchased one and kept singing its praises.

We bought ours from B&Q for £70. (Although, this was five years ago). We wanted a touch close one, this was a fairly new idea at the time, I definitely didn't want a pedal bin as we seemed to break those within a year. They had a large range on sale, as well as a cheaper brand, but we decided upon the Brabantia because of the ten year guarantee, the large 50 litre size and the colour which is a matt black, I thought it would be easier to keep clean and look good with our slate effect tiles and black worktops.

When we removed our bin from the box, my first impressions was of how big it is, being 70.5cm tall and 40cm wide. We had opted for the largest size so I don't know why I was so surprised! The base is black plastic, but not cheap or flimsy, it's quite heavy which helps keep it stable. The cylinder is metal with a black matt coat of paint which has been washed probably hundreds of times, but still is in perfect condition. There is a seam running up the back, which means you have to make sure you have the lid on the right way around. The top has two handles placed opposite each other. The lid is quite a large and cumbersome, made of the same black plastic as the base and is shaped to fit around the handles, stopping the lid from moving about. The back of the lid is higher up, so the lid is slanted towards you which means small children can put rubbish in easily. The inside edge also fits comfortably around the edge of the cylinder. If using the Brabantia bin bags, they fit perfectly around the rim and can be hidden when the lid is in place. They are too expensive for me, so I just use normal black bags which do show, but I prefer to save my pennies. The touch close catch is great, very soft but also secure. There is a round indent in the top of the lid so you know where to press. When shut, the lid makes very little noise and keeps all nasty smells inside - very handy with two babies and constant nappy changes!

Our bin still looks as good as new, however, we have had one problem. Every now and then, the catch wouldn't work as it would get dirty. A quick clean out with a cotton bud always did the trick, but a few weeks ago, my eldest (who is quite heavy handed) decided to keep banging the lid down. I think he must have dislodged the catch which then got thrown away in the rubbish, so we couldn't close the lid at all. I couldn't find the receipt so was unsure if I could claim on the warranty. I checked the website and ordered a new part from the Service shop. On the form it asked me if I wanted to claim on the guarantee, I only had to tell them where the logo was on the bin and where and when we purchased it from. I received an acknowledgement by email and a few days letter another to let me know the part had been sent. Within five days from ordering the part had arrived, with details of how to fit. The details were in diagram form and I had repaired my bin in seconds.

I'm very happy with my bin and Brabantias customer service. The size is more than ample for the five of us, we empty it about every four days. The bin bags we use are also quite full, with our older, smaller bins, the bags were only half full when removed so this is another bonus. It also looks good, £70 well spent!

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4 stars

I'm slowly replacing things in my kitchen - I really need a new kitchen, but that's beyond my budget right now - and one of the things on my list was a new bin. When we first moved in about five years ago, we ended up buying a cheap set of plastic dish drainer and bin; the drainer's life ended years ago but I never got round to replacing the bin.

Brabantia bins are well-known for being expensive and high quality. I did look at the Simple Human range too, but the reviews were quite as good and they aren't a brand I'm as familiar with. As my parents have a Brabantia bin at home and we also have them at work, I knew they are good.

The bin I chose was advertised as a 30 litre brushed steel touch top bin. In fact, when I got it, it had a sticker under the lid saying 25-30l, which I would say is more accurate. Brabantia do bins in quite a few sizes, from small kitchen and bathroom bins to 50 litre+ bins, which I would say would be suitable for families of 6+, or perhaps slightly smaller families that do no recycling at all. The 25-30l bin is a little on the small side for our household (four humans and three cats), even though we recycle quite a lot of stuff. I'd say the bin goes for about 5 days before it needs to be emptied - our old bin was once a week. However, this bin has a bit of a different shape to the 40l and 50l ones; it's tall and thin, which makes it ideal for our tiny kitchen, although it does take a bit of time to get used to, especially as it appears to get fuller quicker at first (my spacial awareness is rubbish).

The bin is available in shiny chrome or brushed stainless steel; I chose brushed because I thought it would require less cleaning, and whilst it's gained a few fingerprints, it looks fine considering I've not cleaned it in over a month. The lid is black plastic, but it does look quite smart. I've read a few reviews about people having problems with the catch, but I haven't experienced this at all at home, work or my parent's house. We do use the mechanism fairly frequently - all four of us use the bin multiple times a day and we often have visitors around too. I do like the touch top design of the bin; you simply press down lightly on the front of the lid and it pops up, and then you repeat again to close. Pedal bins are more hygienic, but I find them awkward to use and they are especially awkward in small spaces. I also like the fact that the bin lid doesn't get as dirty as my old bin, which had a swing lid. There's no food or dried stains to have to clean off the lid all the time, so it stays fresh and smart. I can't smell the bin after a few days the way I could with my old bin, so that's a huge advantage for me.

Brabantia bins are designed to take Brabantia refuse sacks, but I just use regular black bin bags without a problem. As the bin has an inner plastic bin inside, I just pull that out, put the bin bag in, and then replace the inner bin, being careful to tuck down the excessive plastic of the bag so it's not visible when the lid is on. I do find that it can be a bit of a struggle to get a full bin bag out of the bin sometimes, and I think this is due to its long, thin shape rather than anything else. However, it really depends on what you put in the bin and how often you empty it; I prefer to squash down the rubbish as much as possible to fit more in there.

I bought my bin from Amazon for just over £50; I believe it was a return as it was described as 'like new' rather than new, and was an order fulfilled by Amazon Warehouse rather than just Amazon. I've had no problems with it so can only assume it was an unwanted present or was considered to be too small/big.

However, it didn't come with the free pack of Brabantia refuse sacks which usually come with brand new purchases. As the RRP of the bin I bought is around the £100 mark, I believe they are pretty expensive for what is, at the end of the day, a plain bin, although they do include a ten year guarantee. For that reason I'd recommend buying online from Amazon or another store offering a substantial discount.

Brabantia also offer bins which are designed to open automatically via a sensor, which sound like a good idea except for the fact that people walk past our bin constantly (that and they are closer to £200). I don't expect to have to replace this bin in at least the next ten years, so it's a good investment for me. The shape means we've freed up more space in our kitchen, so we can now get our clothes out of the washing machine more easily and there's even space to put another one next to it for recycling should we choose to.

Overall, I would recommend the 30l brushed stainless steel bin if you can get it for less than the RRP.

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A quality household purchase with an expensive price tag

When my husband and I finally got married almost five years ago, we had been living together for several years beforehand so our fairly modest wedding list was a mixture of luxury items as well as an opportunity to replace some essential household items. A Brabantia bin was one of the less glamorous, but unarguably practical and expensive, items on our list and was given to us by my Grandma.

I'd heard of Brabantia before as their reputation for quality is well-established but I would be reluctant to pay the kind of prices that their range usually sells for. Our bin is the 30 litre stainless steel model, complete with easy-touch lid, currently selling for an eye-watering £100 at Debenhams. At that kind of price, I would probably never consider buying another, although I would be surprised if we would ever need to replace ours, as the bin is of such good quality and has proven to be incredibly robust and durable. For extra peace of mind, the bin does come with a ten year guarantee although, realistically, there is very little that could or should go wrong with the bin, even with use several times per day.

The bin is a very simple, classic and stylish design that would be in keeping with most kitchens. Because of its large capacity and height, standing at just over 72cm tall, this isn't the kind of bin that could realistically be hidden away but it still manages to be fairly unobtrusive with its clean lines and a slim upright design. The lid is a simple black design which just needs to be pushed gently in order to open or close the lid, doing away with the need for any form of foot pedal. The soft touch closure is so gentle that none of my children have ever managed to trap their fingers in it, even as toddlers, making it a safe design for a household with young children, particularly as the bin itself is far too stable and sturdy (not to mention too heavy) to be accidentally toppled over by an unsteady infant.

In light of the high price tag, the stainless steel exterior is suitably high quality and, after almost five years of daily use shows no signs of any dents or other damage, despite being in a fairly chaotic household with three boisterous boys. Our bin is made from a shiny type of stainless steel, although there is a brushed matte version also available at a slightly higher price. As you would expect with this type of shiny material, it does tend to show up any fingerprints and any spills from anything that hasn't quite made it's way into the bin will leave behind marks and smears. This can be a bit irritating in a household with young children as it is inevitable that the bin will look grubby from time to time. I have found that anti-bacterial wipes aren't really suitable for this type of bin as they tend to leave behind smears rather than making the bin look any cleaner. A damp cloth usually cleans away most marks but it is a little like painting the Forth Bridge in my household!

This style of bin seems to be particularly good at sealing in any unpleasant odours from the rubbish it contains. I think this is partially due to the lid being extremely well fitting but also due to the dual bin system where the bag actually sits inside a bucket within the bin itself. This inner bucket is made of sturdy black plastic and can be removed entirely making it very straightforward to attach the correct sized bin bag. If a bin bag did happen to tear or leak (which would be highly unlikely given the quality of the official Brabantia bags) any contents would only get as far as the base of the inner bucket which can be very easily cleaned.

The liners used are fairly thin but durable and fit neatly inside the bucket, tucking around the lip of the bin. I particularly like that the bin bag is not visible at all once the lid is closed, making the bin look tidier than some other styles. Removing them is easy, thanks to a small metal handle at one edge of the bucket. Lifting this handle up dislodges the full bag of rubbish slightly, meaning that you don't need to rummage around a full bag of rubbish in order to get a good grip on it! The draw string handles ensure that the used bags can then be secured hygienically with minimal hassle or mess.

Replacement Brabantia Smartfix bin liners are fairly readily available and cost around the £3 mark for a pack of 20 from supermarkets and places such as Wilkinson. I like how the different sizes are clearly marked and also colour coded, making it easy to identify the correct size (the green 'G' bags.) As the 30 litre size is a fairly standard size, it is also possible to buy and use cheaper brands. Bags from the Simple Human range also fit perfectly, as do several cheaper own brand or economy ranges such as the Smartt brand which I managed to pick up from Morrisons for just £1 for a pack of 20 recently. I don't generally find the cheaper brands to be any lower in quality or reliability than the originals and I do test them to the limits as I shove as much as I can into each bag. The only noticeable difference is that the area underneath the draw string handles has been known to tear slightly on cheaper brands, if the bag is particularly stuffed.

The bin itself is a really simple, stylish and functional design which helps us to keep our rubbish under control. I find a bin of this size perfectly adequate for our family of five and only need to empty the bin every two or three days, without worrying about any unpleasant odours escaping. I can't offer any real criticism of the bin itself, certainly in terms of build quality and ease of use, but I still do think the range is very overpriced. If you are willing to spend around £100 on a kitchen bin, this one certainly won't disappoint.

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Can't go wrong with this.

I've always like Brabantia products, and have had a series of Brabantia bins over the years. I used to have an upright 30 litre pedal bin in the kitchen a few years ago, but then the dogs discovered it and at times pulled it over. So I finally opted for a built in version, in particular the Brabantia built in 15 litre version in brilliant steel.

I originally bought it from Amazon for about £35. OK, a bit more expensive that most bins, but my experience has shown that the Brabantia models do last, and remain looking good a long time. The chrome stays shiny and it all continues to give smooth operation for many years. And this model comes with a 10 year guarantee.

This particular model is obviously built in and designed to go into a cupboard, normally under a sink or some other area in the kitchen. So basically you open the door, put the rubbish in the bin and close the door, hiding the bin and any rubbish out of site (and away from my dogs - who haven't quite worked out how to open the cupboard yet!!!).

The bin itself is 317 mm high and comes with full fixing step-by-step instructions to mount the various brackets etc (mainly all steel brackets - not the cheap plastic types that most swing bins have), which were pretty easy to follow. You actually mount the assembly on the cupboard door (either left or right). The only issue I found on the inside of my door was that the door itself was not level, having a sort of border framework around it. So I made up some little wooden spacers to take up the gap and the bin framework then mounted perfectly to the door. Not a fault of the bin, just that my cupboard door was slightly different to most.

The lid assembly is mounted on the end of the top bracket back into the cupboard. So when you open the door, the lid is automatically lifted from the bin (but remains in the cupboard). Then when you close the door again, the bin lid automatically closes over the bin. This means that when you open the door, the bin is opened wide enough to get free access to the bin without having to negotiate the bin lid as you scrape your plates clean etc into the bin.

The bin also has a removable plastic 15 litre bin which is the perfect size to use the plastic carrier bags that you get for your supermarket shopping etc as bin bags, which will save over the cost of buying proper bin bags.

With the solid construction and steel brackets etc, and the black and chrome finish, it looks good and operates well. All that and a 10 year guarantee thrown in. You can't go wrong.

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Excellent purchase, highly recommended

This is a review of the Brabantia Touch Bin, 30 litre model in brilliant steel.

My friend has this bin and I always thought it looked super sleek in his kitchen. As (my fiancée and I) are moving into a new house this weekend I decided to splurge. On Googling the bin I nearly died of shock, as some retailers were selling it for over £100! Kitchen nightmares or what?!

As always a bit of savvy shopping paid off, and I found a half price offer at Tesco Direct. The 30 litre touch bin in brilliant steel is available for £40 with double Clubcard points, which is still around £25 cheaper than Amazon (the next cheapest retailer I found). If you're really keen on this product but want it even cheaper, it's worth mentioning that they were reduced over Christmas at Dunelm to around £33, and in the past year the larger size 50 litre bin has been reduced to around £30 on Amazon.

To be honest I would have definitely preferred the matt steel finish - I just prefer the look of brushed stainless steel to a highly polished finish. However I wasn't prepared to pay the extra £25 for it. As anyone who has owned any kind of stainless steel appliance knows, the high gloss shine doesn't last for long, and ours is already showing lots of finger marks and a few splat-marks from the sink. I don't mind giving a quality product a bit of TLC, and there are a few tricks to minimise buffing time, such as using a few drops of baby oil on the bin surface, followed by a quick polish. I can't tell from the packaging or internet whether it's a chrome finish or polished steel, but the baby oil method is okay for both. There are lots of other finishes available, black, grey and almond paint plus the 'finger print proof' versions.

When I got the bin home from Tesco I was so excited. Imagine how gutted I was then to find a big dent in the front! There was a horizontal crease along the box so I am assuming it got knocked in transit to Tesco - just a word of warning to check it before you leave the Tesco store rather than trail it the whole way home. The brilliant steel versions also shows up this dent quite a lot, so if you're going to be hard on your bin it might be better to opt for the brushed version.

I was pleased with the size of the bin. We compost all our food waste and also recycle across the board, so we wanted something smallish for just the two of us. If you have a big family you are definitely going to need something bigger. I really love the proportions of this model, it's really slimline and elegant, and looks fab in the kitchen. Top marks for aesthetics - it's far and away the nicest bin I have ever had.

The bin itself is extremely easy to use. Inside the metal bin is a plastic bucket with a metal handle, which contains the rubbish - so it's really a bin inside a bin. I really like this design, the bucket is easy to pull out and to empty, and it's also really easy to clean. The one downside is that the bin is designed for special Brabantia bin liners, and not the generic off-the-shelf ones. As you thoughtfully get a roll of 20 bags free with the bin, I haven't tried out any substitutes yet, although I read on the internet there are some adaptable ones. Some people also seem to use standard bags with a visible overlap, but I think that misses the point a bit. I really like the tidy look of the proper Brabantia bags which fit right around the bucket's edge, and are completely hidden when the bin lid is on.

The best bit of the bin however is the touch top! I really see this as a superior design to pedal bins, which always seem to go wonky in the end. I also much prefer it to a swing lid design, where the rubbish residue always seems to go onto the lid. Here, you just touch the bin top lightly where indicated and the lid elevates beautifully. To be honest I spent ages just flipping open the lid the first time I played with it. The lid is very wide, so rubbish just goes straight into the bin, with no mess. The black plastic lid is really easy to keep clean with just a wipe. It has been an absolute revelation in our kitchen so far. The lid also helps to contain those nasty kitchen smells, which might otherwise linger.

The other thing that sold me on this bin was the 10 year guarantee. No manufacturer gives that kind of warranty if they are not really confident about their manufacturing and design. I like to get a lot of use out of products so the idea of repairing the bin rather than replacing it is great. I am looking forward to having a bin for life.

As I haven't been using this bin for ages, I can't testify to its longevity. However, I am extremely pleased with the beautiful, practical design, ease of use and quality of materials. With the Tesco offer, the price isn't too bad either - top marks.

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Come on Brabantia! honour you guarantees

Am I one of the only ones who is not very happy with my Brabantia bin?

I purchased mine about 6 years ago, a 50 litre bin. I think it is a very stylish bin and when working is worthy of a prominent place in the kitchen. After about a year the catch broke so I replaced it with one of the additional catches that they give you when purchased. After six months I had to use the second catch and last replacement that I had. I know I am not alone in having a recurring problem with this bin, my sister has one too, which has a broken hinge. The hinge on my bin also broke after about three years. I managed to fix this with some wire but it is not ideal.

I had a visitor one day who noticed that my bin was definitely under the weather. She informed me that she had just got a replacement lid from Brabantia by going onto their website and emailing them the part that had broken and when she purchased the bin, it was her second replacement. Great I had forgotten all about the ten year guarantee that was promised. So last year I went onto their website and filled in the order form. I stated where it had been purchased and the rough date. I heard nothing back.

A month ago I was in Costco the place that I had purchased my bin. They printed me off a receipt. Armed with this new information I went back onto Brabantia's website and informed them that I had proof of purchase. One month later I am still awaiting my new lid or a response.

Come on Brabantia! we pay a premium for purchasing a so called quality product. I have a ten year guarantee, why aren't you honouring it? It would have been nice to receive a response at the very least. I will follow up on this now it is fresh in my mind and will post my outcome.

I am also interested to see how many others are having or have had problems with Brabantia replacements.

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A top quality bin with a great mechanism.

I have coveted the Brabantia shiney Chrome dustbin for some years now.....Oh how sad am I?? Need to get out more, but its the truth. We are a standard, family of 4 and generate a colossal amount of litter, and we recycle everything that can be, AND I have the whole home compost thing going on. So, I really wanted the 50l version, so £110.00 big ones.

The reason it was difficult to spend all that money, was that I had a super cool retro Push can that I had bought in Harvey Nix back in the day for over £100. That was a terrible bin, the push can part got terribly dirty all the time, I mean all the time...manky. All food used to splosh on the front, and the can went all the way to the floor so terrible to change the bin bag. It really took 2 people.

So, to my glee, I managed to get my 50ml Chrome shiney Brabantia bin in Costco (wholesaler) for £65.00. I skipped all the way to the car boot with it and left the trendy Retro poop next to the Wheelie bin....yippee.

So, the bin as I have mentioned it Chrome. It does need maintaining to keep it looking tip tip, a simple wipe with a glass cleaner every other day does the trick. Others less but I have sticky fingered toddlers roaming with fruit etc.......The top is slanted and made of hard black plastic. It has a dent on the top the you push by hand to open. It has a very smooth operation to open and close and it is very reliable. Always clicks closed, simply. The lid has 2 cut out holes on the side that the carry handles of the bin fit neatly into stopping the lid from moving about. The lid is easy to remove and the bin liner comes out very easily and never seems to stick as I was used to!!!!!

I was not a fan of the black plastic lid, but it is great to keep clean. No finger marks are visible, and a simple anti-bac spray and kitchen roll wipe does the trick.

The only negative about this bin, is that the bin liner shows over the top, and my kids have a tendancy to 'play' with it.....wierdos.....The can be dealt with by buying Brabantia Bin liners, but the are considerably more expensive than the heavy weight ones I tend to buy.

Oooo, nearly forgot to mention....my bin came with a 10 year guarentee. Can't really ask for more!

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Fooled by the good looks of the bin

I bought a Brabantia tall slim pedal waste bin in stainless steel some months ago and find that the Brabantia (and other makes) of bin liners sold to go with this bin simply do not fit and on top of that are extremely expensive. You have to stretch at the top which quite often results in a tear. Also the handle on the inner bin itself came off almost immediately. One of my worst purchases though it does look much better than it actually is.I bought a matching linen bin too to go with it and though that is ok it is not really ideal for holding very much dirty laundry.So all in all bad marks Brabantia - I am now looking for a quality Addis swing bin like the one I had for years! Much easier to keep clean, and the bags for lining are so much cheaper too.

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The leading brand of bins.

Moving into our new apartment, style, pop lid and durability is what we were looking for when it came to the kitchen bin.

We were looking at alternatives such supermarkets own brands, though none of these felt as robust and thick as the Brabanti Bins.

Brabantia specialise in Kitchen ware, this includes cutlery, bins, tools and other small gadgets. The range is robust, mechanically sound and built to last.

These are often far more expensive than competitor brands, but you do get what you pay for.

We went for the Polished finished, over the 'matte' effects they do. This is indeed a nightmare to keep on top of when cleaning, though I find Mr Sheen Metal wipes are very effective and polish out with a microfibre cloth to ensure no fingerprints are visible.

The bin has had a few knocks, of which nothing has caused this to dent, the spring on the pop top still works after 1 year of use and doesn't seem to have malfunctioned (which you often find with pedal bins).

We opted for the 25 litre, though they also sell a huge 50litre bin, which we probably should have got thinking about it!

We managed to get ours for £40 from Dunelm, they had a sale on at christmas, but expect to pay £45-£50 RRP.

Brabantia's own bin liners are a bit of a waste, they do indeed fit very snug, but we found that the Sainsburys own bin liners are just as durable, have the same 'string pull tie' and are half the price of the Brabantia's own.

we found these were the most snug fitting, but if you're happy to stretch/fold, Asda also do some very cheap scented ones.

Overall a great bin, much more durable than a previous one I owned, will certainly be looking at buying the miniture ones for the bathroom.

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A stylish addition to any bathroom/kitchen.

We currently have a medium sized kitchen Brabantia bin and a small one in the bathroom and they are both great.

Not only do they look stylish being in a brushed steel finish, but they are well designed and hard wearing as well.

We got our first Barbantia kitchen bin when we had our kitchen refitted about 5 years ago and it is still goiung strong - when I can be bothered to clean the dribbles from the outswide it still looks as good as new.

It is the pedal bin design, the lid opens easily when you press the pedal. It also has an inner plastic lining bin which has a handle so you can lift it out and then take the bag out of that to empty it which makes it much easier than fighting with the whole bin.

The special bin bags they also sell to go with the bin are expensive but I find a normal black bin bag tucks around ours quite neatly anyway so I don't bother with them for our bigger bin.

Our smaller bin in the bathroom is a similar design but has a dome top instead of a flat top and with the smaller design you don't get a handle to lift out the inner liner (not that you need it). But I have found that you do really need to buy the Brabantia bags for the small one as it is so dinky all the other bags are far to big. But you don't get through as many in the bathroom as in the kitchen so it isn't a great expense.

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The number one brand for metal bins for the home.

When it comes to bins for the home, especially the kitchen the brand name which often springs to mind is the plastic king of kings, Addis. I presently have an Addis kitchen bin in my bedroom of which I use for shredding paper and other accumulated paper junk. Ive often bought Addis simply because most of their products are made with good thick PVC plastic, good design thought and are generally easy to clean. Cheaper versions from Poundstretchers and Argos which dont carry the Addis name however are easy to spot; they dont hold much quality against an Addis product. But what do you do, if you are looking for something completely different and more stylised to fit into a kitchen? ** This is a long review **

Compared to rivals then, what is out there in terms of a good kitchen bin that ensures smells and odours are kept to a minimum? At one end of the scale you have Plastic Fantastic from rivals such as Addis and Linpac who have made plastic swing bins and open top lid bins but nothing such as chrome fittings and odourless seals with precision made fittings and pedal bins supplied and wholly marketed like Brabantia.

Dualitt have also been known to release kitchen bins which mimic Brabantias basic design elements, but they are scarce to say the least and finding a Dualitt product which isnt costlier than Brabantia is harder to justify when it comes to paying cash.

** A Lil Bit of History **

Brabantia arent just a company that make bins. They make kitchen cutlery implements (I have one of their excellent mechanical can openers as well as a screw down cork screw which both have lasted well over ten years) as well as post boxes and other types of functional use designs used in the home. Since 1919 they have maintained a good quality standing and of making products that have a long lasting build.

** The Reason to Buy **

My parents then were fed up with their Addis bin  hence why I have it now in my bedroom. For years the plastic had deformed, loosening the hinges that kept the flap in place, or on a later bin which had a handy foot step to put your foot on when it came to pulling the bag down and lift up top loader door that had no seal on it whatsoever, time it seemed came for an end to plastic bins and to embrace the world of Brabantia.

Off we trotted then to John Lewis and House of Frasers to look for any suitable Brabantia bin  this was 8 years ago now, and even though we still have the same 50 litre bin which cost at that time, an unbelievable £90-00 we only use the Brabantia bin on odd occasions. Why?

** The Classic Brabantia Pedal Bin **

Our first purchase was for a tall thin slender looking push pedal bin made by Brabantia. It seemed to fit the bill perfectly, coming in at £50 for this version which wasnt the largest capacity (30 litres, height of 66cm) the design had to offer. It would fit under the worktop though which was the most important aspect when looking for a kitchen and refuse bin as it needed to sit somewhere that was out of the public eye and be able to perform its use and design effectively. The moment we got the bin home, there was minimal assembly required which meant that the pedal had to be screwed on and the lid which incorporated the spring mechanism travelling up the back of the bins rear through a central seam had to be fitted too. All was well for the first three months. My parents loved the idea of having not to touch any lid with sticky fingers for example and the pedal idea seemed to be a great hit.

Then one day without any warning, the pedal mechanism literally fell off. Brabantia had given us 5 year guarantee with this bin, so it now came in handy. Back the bin went to John Lewis who then contacted us to tell us that there was a design fault on the bin and Brabantia sent us a new bin which eased our minds a bit and thought that everything was plain sailing from there.

From that time then we loved the bin. It was everything that Brabantia had promised and everything seemed to be going smoothly. The only disadvantage that we could find was that Brabantia kept sending mail regarding their specialised Bin liners which were made specifically for their equipment. We bought one roll of bin liner for this 30 litre slim line pedal bin but at the cost of nearly £15-00 for one roll we did consider this to be largely expensive, when you could use cheaper bin liners and garden refuse bags for the same use and indeed, capacity!

One year later and the mechanism on the bin went again. On later bins of the push pedal up variety (if you dont know what I mean, I mean a push pedal bin when the pedal is pressed with your foot, the lid of the bin rises on a spring and shuts the moment the pedal is released) the design was improved to have a stronger arm put across the entire diameter of the circular bin lid  our bin didnt have this, so back again the bin went to John Lewis!

** The Automatic Touch Type Flip Up Brabantia Bin **

This time, Brabantia offered us another bin, pedal type but by then we had enough and decided to buy a completely new bin at £90-00 which didn't involve pedals. Brabantia sent out 3 rolls of bags for us to keep our custom as well as a voucher for £50-00 for the trouble our last bin put us through - nice customer service for you!

This new type of bin had an easy touch lid, which meant that when the user touched the top of the lid, it rises slowly automatically via a sprung mechanism. My parents werent too keen on this as they favoured the hygienic aspect of the pedal push up design but since there was an odourless sealed ring, and the quirky way the lid raised automatically, this bin looked like a good compromise - specifically we also chose a larger capacity which could take a standard large black bin liner - or a garden bag.

** Difference in Design **

Thus, the design of the touch bin is different. It looks like a large capacity metal bullet without the use of a sharp inclined dome. The bullet shape lends its name to the lower design of the bin. It does have a larger diameter though which means that on its own in the kitchen it is ideal to be placed in a corner or like us, if you have a worktop the bin can effectively again, be hidden away. Just make sure when the lid comes up that it doesnt hit the top of your worktop. Therefore it is important to remember that the touch type bullet bins have a sloping front which means that the angle of the bin lid rises up to just over a 90° angle. This ensures that you get the largest opening the bin can serve up and additionally you can get a standard dustpan into the large opening.

Diameter measurement is 40cm, 50 litres capacity and a height of approximately 72cm including the sloping touch lid.

This type of design then meant that there were no other workings other than the bin lid and the plastic black ring which held the bin bag in place.

We were further pleased to see that Brabantia had gone to the trouble of putting a black disc at the bottom of the bin, a false floor with holes, so that when you pull the bin bag up, the suction of air between the bin bag and the bin is released with a little pop which then means removing the bag is a lot easier than conventional means. This false floor is also removable which makes cleaning it easy!

Therefore other than the plastic false floor ring, there is another black ring which is hollow which is designed to hold the bin bag in place and then the lid which has its own ring, therefore ensuring odours are minimal closes over the primary ring. This also means that in effect the chrome looks are blending in with a black ring, which also acts as a top half bumper should anyone or anything knock it. What a great idea.

There is also a black handle on either side of the bin (this means 2 handles then!) which is great for keeping a hand on the bin or lifting it outside. Weight of the bin is very light (around 3kg compared to 5kg pedal bin which had added weight because of its mechanism) when there is no bag in it.

Sometimes in use when you push lightly on the indent on the main bin lid, the lid doesnt always rise. You need to push it slightly harder to ensure that the bin lid actually comes up on first contact.

Six months later after ownership of this bin, the mechanism in the bin lid went. Effectively we then wrote a letter of complaint to Brabantia pointing out that the tooth which keeps the bin lid locked in place before it is touched down to release it to open had snapped. Brabantia then collected the bin again and we were bin less for a couple of weeks. Result? Brabantia admitted that there was yet again, ANOTHER design fault on the mechanism for the lid and the lid was replaced free of charge and returned to us.

Despite the poor fittings and the problems that we have encountered, we were happy to keep our bin in the home. The effects of its hygienic door simply mean it keeps the odour of kitchen waste at a minimum.

** Any Other Problems? **

The problems I've found early on when the bullet bin was put in the kitchen was trying to keep it clean. Although the main body is cylindrical, keeping chrome clean is a problem as was the fact to keeping the bin lid clean, because when you wiped it and accidentally pushed too hard on the bin lid, it would rise and open on the bin body itself. Chrome bins for optimum cleanliness should be cleaned with a damp cloth and a little toothpaste - and then pat dry and polish with a clean dry cloth - you will be amazed at the results as everything comes off to reveal a nice shine.

Also, cleaning inside the bin lid can take time because you need to clean around the tooth which is quite lightly made and often a damp cloth can get caught up in the mechanism. Cleaning inside the rim of the primary sealed ring isnt easy either as it has jutting plastic corners which, in black means that you cant always see the dirt that clings there.

** Product Availability **

Brabantia Bins have grown in popularity over the years and House of Frasers sells a lot more of the range than ever. However they are not always available in other hard wear shops so it is best to check for availability. Argos however now has a lot of the range on sale in store, ranging from pedal push bins to the touch type bin that we have.

Of the capacities that are available for example from Brabantia bins, it tends to range from 10, 12, 15, 30, and 50 litre capacities.

Prices are still quite high for what you are paying for, mind. Our 30 litre pedal bin at £50 has now risen to £53 and the 50 litre bin is now £71 at Argos compared to the higher price we paid. As with our bin though, any Brabantia metal bin comes with a standard 10 year guarantee  just remember to keep the receipt from where you purchased it though! Their customer service is by far one of the better service forces Ive used.

** Conclusion **

As stated previously we still have our Brabantia 50 litre bullet bin and in its ninth year now, it is an excellent and hygienic piece to have in the kitchen. Because of earlier problems we use it now for a secondary kitchen bin due to the harshness of other people in the household who dont just gently push the lid down! Outwardly, it has a great stainless steel body which has withstood the test of time with knocks and scrapes and if you like a classic design with a handy easy touch up touch down rising bin lid, then this could be the bin for you.

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Not the biggest bin in the world but stylish and good quality.

Following a makeover on our kitchen we lost the handy little under-cupboard space that used to house our bin. So browsing the Internet we came across the Brabantia range and as my mum-in-law had one in her kitchen I knew they were good quality.

We finally settled on the 30 litre bin as it was slim and would fit into the corner of the kitchen without sticking out too much and although we have 6 people is our house-hold I resigned myself to the fact I would be emptying the bin more often.

##THE LOOKS##

Well, the bin itself is actually very stylish looking, with the base portion being a polished chrome cylindrical shape and the lid portion a mixture of chrome and black. The 30L bin is a skinny little number and does match all the accessories in the kitchen, including the fridge.

Rather than being a swing lid, which I hate, as food always gets all over the swinging bit, it has a pop up lid. Basically you just push it in the small circular patch on top and up it pops silently and smoothly. This has always worked effectively for me, even when using bin bags that are too big for the bin, it does not interfere with the mechanism for popping up and there is no nasty, old fashioned pedal on the base to trip over.

Inside the main chrome cylinder there is another black plastic bin with a handle on it, rather like an elongated bucket. This is the portion you put the black bag in and then slot it back down into the main part. I think this is a great idea as if the bag splits and you get food everywhere or it leaks, it is easy to pull out the inside carcass and rinse it out in the garden, rather than trying to clean the larger, heavier base part. This has proved really useful to me as the kids have a habit of emptying more liquid content into the bin than they should. The base of the bin is made from durable plastic so it will not damage your flooring.

Dimensions.

Height - 722mmContent  30 LitresDiameter  293mm

##CLEANING##

It is really easy to clean actually. I thought I would be forever polishing it, like the breadbin but although it does mucky on top and fingerprints are usually present on the sides, a quick wipe over with a damp cloth or a disinfectant wipe is enough to remove the gunk and leave it looking not too smeary.

Every so often I do actually polish it with a duster and normal household polish and buffing it, gives it back its original showroom gleam. The lid is a bit trickier as it has the mechanism for the pop up lid in it and there are a few grooves and so on that require a bit more than a damp cloth but nothing too serious.

As mentioned the inside bin comes out and this is easily cleaned by emptying a bowl of hop soapy water into it and swooshing it around. I do this in the garden normally and empty it straight down the drain. If its sunny I leave to dry in the garden otherwise the new bag will stick to the bin.

##OVERALL##

I am really pleased we brought this bin, although I had my reservations about the price. We paid nearly £50 for this little number and the larger capacity ones are even more expensive, but the quality is excellent. My mum-in-law has had hers for about 5 years now and it still looks like new. I also had my reservations about the size, as being the 30L bin it is one of the smaller of the range, however with the limited space we had to buy and make do. I would reckon that with a family of 6 people, like ours, you are likely to change the bag about 4-5 times a week.

The pop up lid is very useful when you have a plate of food to scrape, no more holding the swing lid to stop it going everywhere, simply pop and drop!

The bin bags can also be brought from Brabantias website and they are pretty reasonable at around £2.10 for 20. You can buy them to fit all the different sized bins they do, however I just use regular Sainsburys ones and they fit pretty well. In fact the fact that they are a little larger than the bin, means you wont overfill them and make them too heavy, due to the fact that when you pull it out of the bin, the rubbish sinks into the remainder of the bag and is much easier to carry out etc.

You can also buy other accessories for your bin, for instance they do a plastic insert that slots inside the bin to separate waste, although this is available for the twin bin design only.

My one gripe is actually getting the top of the bin bag to fit into the nook between inner and outer bins, without poking out of the lid. This is sometimes very fiddly with any kind of bag, although Brabantias own bags are designed to fit, so I usually give up and leave bits out, although its not majorly noticeable.

Anyway, to sum up, although it is a lot of money to outlay on a bin the quality and looks of the Brabantia Touch Bins is more than money well spent.

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"Skids on tiles!"

I needed a new bin and did not want one of those horrid plastic swing top things which are usually messy and ugly. After convincing my husband that buying a Brabantia 30l pedal bin in matt finish would definitely add glamour to our kitchen, I went off and bought one. Goodness, when did bins become so expensive? Never mind, it is going to last for decades!

I wish it wouldn't though! I am so sick of it.

Firstly, whenever I press the foot pedal the bin takes off like a ice skater on my newly tiled kitchen floor. After pondering this problem it now stands on a non-skid mat, which looks a little odd but at least I don't have to chase my bin around the kitchen anymore. Shouldn't a bin that cost the earth have some kind of built in traction for kitchen tiles??? Then I could not get any of the special liners so had to go out and get normal ones. These work fine actually and much cheaper! All I do is slip the liner over the plastic inner bin, press down to the bottom to let all the air out, tie a bun on the side and lodge into the metal bin. It looks very neat so am not going to bother with the special liners anymore.

Secondly, the matt coating on the outside is tarnished ... yes tarnished! It looks very ugly but nothing is broken, nothing wrong with the bin really!